Doc Fest Ireland

#IrishDocumentary: Belfast Film Festival announces Doc Fest Ireland, June 12th to 16th

Belfast Film Festival has announced Doc Fest Ireland, a new industry focussed, all Ireland International Documentary Festival. Based in Belfast, the inaugural festival will run from June 12th to 16th, 2019.

Doc Fest Ireland is being created to celebrate documentary filmmaking and provides a platform for both national and international industries. It is a hub for cross-border collaboration, international co-productions and sales and distribution through the full day one-to-one pitching forum, Doc Market.

The event will host industry events including talks, pitching sessions, masterclasses, a new talent focus & funding information sessions. It will also feature keynote speakers who are experts in the industry from Ireland and beyond. Doc Fest Ireland promises to be a showcase for immersive technology documentary through BFF’s partnership with Queens University Belfast and the VR/AR suite at SARC.

Applications for the first ever Doc Market are open from December 3rd until March 30th.

Doc Market is an opportunity for filmmakers to meet with top decision makers including international funders, broadcasters, distributors and exhibitors. It offers a unique way to pitch your project through one to one meetings between pitchers and decision makers, for creative and financial discussions. Projects can range from feature documentaries, television, series or specialised factual genres and formats.

The Doc Market will be a hub for funding, sales and distribution of documentaries in Ireland and globally, and an incubator for nurturing domestic talent so that our industry can continue to thrive in the future.

Who can Apply?

  • Doc Market is open to all documentary makers from any country.
  • Submissions must be made through a production company.
  • At least one film, TV or digital broadcast credit is essential.
  • We will only accept one project submission per company.
  • Your project can be at any stage of development, production, or post-production. Projects do not need to have financing already in place but must have a finance plan.
  • We will expect all submissions to submit a 2-3 minute teaser/trailer/excerpt.
  • Your projects must have an international appeal.
  • Projects should be 50 mins + and may take any form or specialist focus, e.g. feature documentaries, television, series or specialised genres and formats.

There is a fee of £20 to submit your pitch to Doc Market. As this is a competitive process this does not mean you are guaranteed a slot. For information on the selection process and Doc Market in general, please see our useful information below. 

If you have any questions, email submissions@docfestireland.ie

All relevant information is included in the Doc Market Info Pack

If you would like to pitch a new project in Doc Fest Ireland’s Doc Market in 2019, complete the online form to register your interest.

All submissions must be in English.

Information on the different types of Doc Fest Accreditations available for industry professionals, filmmakers and lovers of documentary will be released at a later date.